National Provisioner magazine has again noted Colorado State University’s prominence in the meat industry by naming one faculty member and two alumni to the list of “25 Future Icons of the Meat Industry.”

25 industry icons

The list is meant to complement the magazine’s October list of “25 industry icons[1]” which included CSU animal sciences professors Temple Grandin and Gary Smith[2].

In its introduction of the Future Icons group, the magazine writes “this month, to wrap up the magazine’s coverage of its 125^th Anniversary, the editorial team decided to take on a bigger challenge: Select 25 individuals we expect will change the industry over the next decade or two.”

Bob Delmore

Current Professor of Animal Sciences, and CSU alumnus (Ph.D. ’98), Robert Delmore was cited for his work on the design of meat centers both at Cal Poly State University and at Colorado State and for his expertise in meat science, meat safety, and meat processing. Provisioner noted in his nomination that “Delmore is a tremendous asset to the industry and academia – his many contributions are equaled by few and exceeded by none.”

Phil Bass

Phil Bass (Ph.D. ’09) currently works for Certified Angus Beef and as Provisioner notes, has developed a “bit of a cult following among meat scientists, chefs, and culinarians.” Bass, who studied under current Professor of Animal Sciences and Monfort Chair Keith Belk, “sets a stellar example of how the industry can work with end users to innovate new, useful cuts of beef and novel uses for those cuts,” according to the magazine.

Kurt Vogel

Kurt Vogel (Ph.D. ’11) studied under Professor Temple Grandin and focused on innovative techniques for animal handling. He is currently an assistant professor of animal and food science at the University of Wisconsin River Falls, where his work on “next-generation strategies on animal welfare” is “revolutionizing” the industry, according to the magazine. Vogel was named the Kraft/Oscar Mayer Faculty Scholar of Livestock Welfare and Behavior in 2013.

Ground-breaking scientists

“What these ground-breaking scientists represent is the impact of the innovations coming out of our Department of Animal Sciences,” said Kevin Pond, head of the department. “We empower our graduates to change the world and enhance our food systems. I am delighted that we can point to such stellar graduates and a current faculty member whose work is improving food safety, animal welfare, and addressing consumer needs.”

The full National Provisioner list can be found on their website.[3]